


The Apocalypse is Hard.

by okfinebutwhy



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-05-30 18:57:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6436429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/okfinebutwhy/pseuds/okfinebutwhy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>...in which an asteroid shows up and totally ruins everything. If being Supergirl becomes a full-time job, what happens to Kara Danvers?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Come on Clark, you have to stop beating yourself up about this. We did the best we could.” 

Her cousin had been silent for the entire 5-hour flight, then flung himself dramatically onto the couch once they arrived back at Kara’s apartment, glaring into the distance and refusing to speak.

“Seriously?” Kara’s frustration grew. “I know sound doesn’t work in a vacuum, so whatever, we couldn’t have talked out there anyway, but I really don’t deserve the silent treatment.” 

Clark shifted in his seat, but didn’t respond.

“Fine. I can be grumpy too.” Kara slumped onto the couch next to him, trying to wait it out.

She almost made it a minute. 

“Okay, but also? That thing was huge. Like Texas huge.”

“Bolivia,” Clark muttered.

“What?”

“It’s more like the size of Bolivia.” Clark sighed and continued, “that’s what one of the NASA guys said… almost twice as big as Texas.”

“Holy cow,” Kara squeaked. “Well no wonder we couldn’t stop it! I’m pretty sure we slowed it down though,” she added proudly.

“Slowed it down?” Clark shook his head. “It’s an asteroid, headed straight for earth, and it’s big enough to maybe kill everyone on the planet. And you want me to be happy we slowed it down?”

Kara hesitated. “Yeah… I mean… that’ll probably make it easier to blow up!”

“Listen Kara. I know you’re just trying to make me feel better but I’m not ready for that yet. And yes, I know it’s not our fault we couldn’t stop the insanely big asteroid, but I don’t like feeling…” his voice trailed off.

“Helpless?” Kara offered.

“I was going to say useless, but sure.” Clark forced a smile, then added thoughtfully. “I also don’t like feeling this hungry. Can we order pizza? Ooh, or Thai.”

“Uh, both. Obviously.” Kara grinned. “Does that mean you’re feeling more optimistic about Plan B?”

“You mean, ‘Plan wait and hope NASA can actually blow that thing up before it crashes into Earth, most likely killing everyone we know and care about’?”

“Yikes Clark. That’s dark. I’m still going to call it Plan B.”

\---------------------------

Of course, nobody knew it was Plan B. 

The endless scroll of the ticker tape at the bottom of every screen on Cat Grant’s office wall parroted the details everyone now knew by heart: 14 international space agencies launch joint force to destroy asteroid threat… live coverage: shuttles en route-- missile strike scheduled for midnight EST… failure could mean global extinction event… world leaders remind citizens to remain calm.

The ticker tape failed to mention that this plan was scraped together at the last minute, with a projected 85% probability of success. It left out the part where NASA alerted other government agencies of the asteroid’s sudden, inexplicable change in course, and the DEO offered to send Superman and Supergirl to put it back on track. The thought that they wouldn’t be able to hadn’t really crossed anyone’s mind.

At the moment, that was the only thing on Supergirl’s guilt-ridden mind. Though she’d played the optimist for Clark’s benefit last week, she felt terrible that they hadn’t been able to stop this. She perched uncomfortably on the edge of one of the sofas in Cat’s office watching the TV wall intently, biting her nails and hoping for the best.

TIME TO IMPACT: 0:10:00; three of the screens on Cat’s massive TV wall flashed the ominous red countdown, laid over grainy footage of the shuttles sailing through space.

Ten minutes. She could handle ten more minutes.

The last week had been an injection of pure stress—citizens panicking over the impending apocalypse, plus the long hours at work that accompany any major news story—but this, the waiting, was the worst part. 

The instant the last shuttle launched this morning, Cat turned and quietly told everyone to go home and get some sleep—there was nothing left to do but wait. 

Kara went home for a few hours, but felt restless. Alex was busy with the DEO, and the rest of the city was eerily quiet, so she came back and found Cat, still sitting in her office. They ordered takeout and talked as the sun faded, then around 9, Cat called to say goodnight to Carter, took off her shoes and curled up on one of the sofas, leaving Kara under strict orders to wake her up a few minutes before midnight.

She checked her watch. It was time to wake Ms. Grant up, but she decided to give it another minute. Even with the bright light pulsating from the TV wall, it was peaceful to sit here in the darkened, empty office, silent except for the steady rush of Cat’s breathing.

For a moment, it seemed impossible to Kara that the tiny, sleep softened woman across from her could ever be frightening. It was impossible, until she pictured how furious Cat would be if she didn’t wake her up on time, or worse, if she’d woken up to see her assistant staring at her like she was now.

Kara cleared her throat, and walked over to tap Cat on the shoulder. “Ms. Grant,” she hissed, “you should probably get up. They’re about to fire the missiles—about 5 minutes to impact.”

She stirred but was obviously still asleep.

“Ms. Grant? Please wake up. You’ll be mad if you miss it.” She waited a moment to see if Cat would budge, then sat at the end of the sofa near Cat’s feet.

“C’mon Ms. Grant. We’re down to 4 minutes.” 

Just as Kara contemplated more creative ways to wake her boss, the alarm Cat’s phone erupted loudly, screeching like a siren from the coffee table. She jolted awake, flinging her legs straight out, her feet burrowing into the sofa under Kara’s legs. Kara yelped and nearly flew off the couch.

“Oh, Keira,” a groggy Cat rasped, reaching over to silence her phone. “What happened?”

“Yeah, sorry I was trying to wake you up and so I sat next to you and… wait. Why did you ask me to wake you if you already set your alarm?”

“Redundancies,” Cat shrugged, then “anything to report?”

Kara shook her head. “No change. Just waiting for impact.” She gestured nervously to the screen, where the countdown was nearing the 2 minute mark. “Do you think this is really going to work?”

Cat did a double take at the pained look on Kara’s face and sighed. She sat up and patted the sofa next to her. “Of course it will.”

Kara sat, and for a moment, as the two watched the last of the countdown tick away, she believed it too.

The next several minutes were a blur—she poured Ms. Grant a martini, then a series of massive explosions peppered the screens and everything went calm. The picture quality was bad so it was hard to tell, but it looked to Kara like the asteroid was smaller, but definitely still there. Something went wrong. 

“Kara…” Alex’s voice crackled into her ear. “We need you right now.”

She rushed out of Cat’s office and frantically punched the call button on the elevator. “How bad is it?”

“Well, you saw it like everyone else, Kara. It kind of worked, but it also kind of didn’t.”

“Okay, so pretty bad then?”

“Yeah. Listen, I don’t have all the details yet, but it sounds like the missiles did break the asteroid up into a bunch of smaller pieces. Some changed direction and are flying away. Lots are still headed at earth, but are small enough that they’ll just burn up in the atmosphere.”

“That sounds good. What about the rest?”

“I’m not sure how many exactly, but maybe a dozen that are still heading to earth and big enough to cause some real damage.” Alex sounded worried. “If you and Clark leave now, you should be able to stop most of them.”

“Most of them?” Kara groaned and tapped the elevator button one more time, then gave up and ran, a little too fast, toward the stairwell.

“Keira? Keira, where are you going?” Cat leaned out of her office, phone pressed to her ear.

Kara paused. She’d completely forgotten about her boss, but didn’t have time to come up with a good excuse. “I’m sorry, Ms Grant, but I have to go.”

“You have to go?” Cat repeated dully. “Now? You can’t leave. I need you here.”

Kara looked at her sadly. “I know. I really am sorry, but I have to leave right now. I’ll try to come back, but… I don’t know when that will be.” She had a feeling this would be the last time she saw CatCo for a long time, so she paused in the open stairwell door for one last look around the office, a bewildered Cat Grant still in her doorway.

“I understand if that means I’m fired. I’ll always be grateful for everything you taught me.” Kara looked down at her feet, hoping to hide the tears collecting at the corner of her eyes as she tugged at the buttons on her shirt and sped down the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After chasing down asteroid pieces for a month, tired, hungry, and grumpy Clark & Kara finally get a break. Kara realizes the emotional toll it's taking on her.

“This apocalypse blows.” Kara stumbled into the hotel room and collapsed, face-down onto the first bed she saw. Her cape flipped up, half covering her face and muffling her speech. “It’s so… hard. Why does it have to be so hard?”

 

She and Clark had been working non-stop for almost a month to clean up after the asteroid debacle, and the effort had left them exhausted, their powers almost completely depleted from exertion. Thankfully, things had finally calmed down enough for them to take a little break this afternoon before the next wave was due to roll in the next morning.

 

“Wait, where are we again?” Disoriented from flying constantly around the globe, it took Kara a second to remember. “Oh, never mind. Metropolis, right?”

 

Clark’s city had been hit especially hard, some of the asteroid’s biggest pieces heading straight for it. Even now, after it was pretty safe around the rest of the world, meteorites were still hurling themselves through the air toward the city, as if pulled there by a giant magnet.

Dozens of buildings, including the one where Lois and Clark lived, had been heavily damaged or destroyed, so they were staying in the penthouse of a hotel managed by one of Lois’ friends.

 

“Yeah, and at the moment, you’re on MY bed.” Clark grunted. “Please get off. Have you seen how dirty your suit is? You don’t smell great either, by the way.”

 

Kara tilted her head to sniff her shoulder and winced. “Don’t care. I’m too tired.”

 

“Please move.”

 

Kara made a show of lifting her hand off the mattress then letting it fall with a dull thud.  

 

“Can’t.”

 

Actually, after a day like today, it wasn’t far from how she actually felt. Alex estimated one of the meteorites she lifted and hurled back into space weighed 80,000 pounds—a personal record, she thought. Her arms ached at the memory.

 

“Fine.” Clark resigned, too tired to fight. He walked over to the window and parted the curtains, letting the harsh late-afternoon light slant in. “Actually, we should get up to the roof and recharge a little before the sun goes down.”

 

“Or, you could let me sleep. Forever.”

 

He was right, of course, but she would never admit that to him. They were lucky it had been sunny today; she and Superman were about one rainy day away from completely blowing out their powers.

 

Earlier, Alex said the weather report looked clear for tomorrow, which was fortunate considering the huge group of meteors due to hit the city in the morning. The DEO still didn’t know why so many asteroids kept abandoning their orbits, changing course directly for Metropolis, but it was definitely paranormal. Until they could figure it out, Superman and Supergirl were on clean-up duty, and being a Space Maid, as Kara had started to call it, was no fun.

 

Clark left her alone for a minute, typing something into his phone, then growled, “get up, dork. Lois is bringing us food from that place with the salsa you like.”

 

That got Kara’s attention. “Tacos?”

 

“Mmm-hmm.” Clark tapped out another text, distracted.

 

“How many?” Kara’s eyes narrowed skeptically.

 

“Not sure, but she got burritos too.” He laughed as a new text dinged onto his screen. “Well, she just said the bag weighs ‘a fucking ton,’ so I think we’ll be okay.”

 

“Fine. But I’m only doing it for the tacos.” She dragged herself off the bed and into the shower.

 

An hour later, they were lounging on the deck, feeling refreshed and laughing as they polished off the last of the food.

 

“I know I should be used to it by now, but I still can’t believe how much you guys eat.” Lois looked at the bag stuffed with empty wrappers incredulously. “That was 30 tacos. Plus 10 burritos, and two orders of nachos.”

 

“Wait, there were nachos?” Clark looked up angrily.

 

“Yeah, I kind of ate all of those,” Kara grinned and laid back in her lounge chair, feeling content and wishing she could freeze the setting sun in the sky and let it warm her skin a little longer. She felt much better, but it would be a while before she got back to full strength.

 

“Lucky for you nerd, I think I’m actually full.” Clark snuggled Lois closer against him, her head resting on his chest in the chair they shared. The two mumbled happily to each other and kissed once, calmly.

 

“Ugh. Sometimes you guys are a just a little too married.” Kara swung her legs over the side of her chair, planning to head inside. The sudden glimpse into Clark’s happy personal life was an unpleasant reminder that her own had fallen into shambles.

 

“Yep, and it’s great. 10/10 would recommend,” Clark teased.

 

“Sorry, we’ll behave!” Lois leaned away from him slightly, sensing Kara was feeling a little sensitive. “How are your prospects these days, anyway?”

 

“Uh, non-existent?” Kara huffed. “Things were rough enough before, but now… I guess dying alone is cool too.”

 

“Well who would you _want_ to die with?” Lois laughed at the shock on Kara’s face. “No, wait that’s not... I mean, is there anyone in particular you’re missing?” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

 

A parade of faces flashed across her mind: Alex, Winn, Cat, her parents. She probably still had a crush on James, but had barely thought about him over the last month—there wasn’t any time. He deserved better than that, she resolved.

 

“Not really,” Kara started. “I miss Alex. I miss Winn and James, and everyone from work. I even miss Cat Grant.” She pictured herself at work, cowering outside Cat’s office with Winn, waiting to be yelled at for some ineptitude, and laughed. Her every day life was so simple, so mundane, and yet, she really did miss it.

 

She hesitated, trying to understanding what she was feeling. She was used to missing people, missing home. The ache for her family and Krypton had faded, but it never went away. This new mourning was something else entirely.

 

“I miss myself,” she blurted as the pieces clicked into place. “I miss going to work and having friends, and wearing glasses, and just… being Kara Danvers. I miss being a person.” Kara stopped, hoping to suppress the sob building in her throat.

 

“Oh Kara,” Lois looked stricken.

 

“I know what you mean,” Clark interjected gently. “It happens to me too. We get used to being human, but we can’t be all the time. So, when the world needs Superman, Clark has to disappear for a while. Most of the time it’s fine, but sometimes it’s really difficult.”

 

He sat up and leaned over to put a hand on Kara’s shoulder. “This is the first time you’ve had to deal with this for more than a couple of days, huh?” He waited for her response, a silent, teary nod, then continued, “It will get better, I promise. Everything will go back to normal soon.”

 

“Yeah, until the next disaster comes. This is just going to keep happening isn’t it?” Kara felt as though she’d just finally understood the full cost of being Supergirl.

 

“Yes, it will,” Clark reasoned, “but you’ll get better at dealing with it. The people in your life will get better at it too.” He squeezed Lois’ knee. “You’ve built a good life—that’s what makes it hard to walk away. Have enough faith in yourself to believe it’ll still be there when you get back.”

 

“If I ever get back,” Kara whimpered, “I hope you’re right.”

 

“Uh, I’m always right,” Clark deadpanned. “You really should know that by now.”

 

“Oh, thank you, ever-kind, all-knowing Kal-El,” Kara mocked. “I think that actually helped. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still hate everything right now, but you two do give me some hope.”

 

Lois grinned, but Clark looked suspicious. Kara rarely used his real name anymore without a reason “Really? We do?”

 

“Sure. You’re a complete tool, and you managed to marry a total babe, so there’s got to be hope for me.”

 

“Ugh you’re the worst,” Clark laughed, grateful the mood had lightened.

 

“No, no, she’s actually right. I am a total babe,” Lois chimed in. “And you are kind of tool sometimes.”

 

“Fine, fine, go ahead” he started down the stairs toward the room. “But, when you’re finished making fun of me, you should come down and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to _suck_.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sun is shining, birds are singing, and Kara gets to take a break from chasing meteors to work with her sister for the day. What could go wrong? Oh, right. Pretty much everything.

“Hey Alex? Should this be blinking?” Kara held up the small black box she’d just uncovered in a pile of trash, plain plastic with a steadily flashing red light at one corner. They’d been searching the warehouse with a crew of DEO agents for two hours now, and this was the first interesting thing she had found. “It’s kind of cute, huh?”

“Cute?” Alex looked over, and seemed confused for a second before horror registered on her face. “BOMB!” she shouted “Everyone out!” She and the other agents rushed for the exits.

“Seriously? Oh crap!” Kara clutched the box to her chest and zoomed into the sky straight through the aluminum roof, leaving a jagged hole behind her. The blinking accelerated, so she flew faster, exiting the stratosphere just as she heard the mechanism inside click. “This is going to hurt,” she complained to the empty sky just before the blast sent her reeling.

A few minutes later, she returned to the warehouse, her suit a little worse for wear. Alex was waiting for her in the parking lot, reclined on the hood of a humvee. She looked up at the sound of her sister’s return and grinned. “Have a nice flight?” 

Kara shot her a death glare and picked a shard of metal from her hair. “Clark was right; today sucks.”

“Why didn’t you just throw it?”

“I panicked.” she shrugged, “Come on Al, you know bombs freak me out!”

“Well, thanks for taking one for the team. And I’m glad you’re okay.” Alex was still amused, but relieved. “One of the guys found a trap door; we were waiting for you to get back before we open it since it’s right next to where you found that bomb.” 

“Oh great,” Kara winced and ran her finger along her rib where her suit sported a new gash. “Do you think there are any more?”

“We just finished a grid search and found six. But, don’t worry, only one was even operational, and we disarmed it. Looks like we’re in the clear.”

“Good. I’d rather be a Space Maid than on the bomb squad.” 

“Nah,” Alex laughed, “I think we can let Superman handle the cosmic housekeeping for one day, right?”

The two super heroes had started the day together in typical fashion, hanging out in the sky, catching the meteors barreling toward the earth and flinging them back out to space, when Alex interrupted on Kara’s earpiece. “Hey Supergirl,” her voice crackled over the long distance. “Any interest in skipping today’s rock toss to help me out?”

“What’s up, Al?”

“So you know how we’ve been trying to figure out why all these asteroids keep trying to wreck the earth, and why they’re especially bent on Metropolis?”

“Yeah,” Kara grunted as a meteor sailed into her chest. “Maybe you could get to the point though. I am kind of busy.”

“I’m working on it. Anyway, remember the other day when you said it was like a magnet was pulling them all down here? Well, after you said that, I got an idea, and the DEO started a sweep. Turns out you were right—there’s totally a giant magnet. Or, a powerful magnetic field anyway. It’s coming from a warehouse just outside the city, and we think that’s what’s causing the problem.” Alex sounded really pleased with herself. “Want to come with me to check it out?”

“Yes. Obviously. Anything but this,” Kara nodded vigorously before punching an asteroid straight at Clark . “Did you hear that? Have fun with the dumb space rocks, loser,” she’d taunted before careening back to earth.

At the time, Kara had been delighted to leave a disgruntled Clark behind. But now, staring down into the pitch-black trap door they’d opened, she wondered if she’d made the right choice this morning.

“Flashlight?” Seven DEO agents pointed their weapons into the hole and switched on the lights on their scopes. It wasn’t much, but the faint beams did enough to outline a staircase descending into the darkness. Kara exhaled heavily and took a ginger first step. When nothing happened, she relaxed and smiled back at Alex before continuing down the stairs. “If anything happens to me, I want you to remember how brave I am right now, going alone into this deep dark pit of… Oh hey! The lights just came on.”

“Yep,” Alex chirped. “Dave found a light switch.” 

“Alright Dave!” Kara’s voice trailed off as she took in the scope of the room she’d just stepped into—a colossal underground bunker easily 10 times the size of the warehouse she’d just come from. It was filled with massive, pulsating machines, dozens of them, arranged in neat lines along the floor. “It’s okay, Alex,” Kara called up the staircase. “You guys can come down. I think it’s a factory or something.”

She looked around for some hint to the machines’ purpose, but the only other things in the bunker were an empty desk and a row of shelves holding big blue barrels. Kara walked along the shelves as the agents descended the stairs, reading the labels on the barrels out loud, “Terbium, Samarium, Neodymium, Cerium… what is this stuff? Oh, hey this one says Cobalt. That sounds familiar.”

“They’re elements. Rare earth, I think.” Alex’s voice sounded funny, and Kara looked over to see her huddled with the agents, shivering violently. “It’s freezing down here—hang on, we’re going to have to come back with suits.”

When Alex returned, in a heavily-padded snow suit, she brought Dr. Yanez, a DEO scientist, with her. Kara had met Dr. Yanez a few times, and though no one had ever said anything, it was obvious to her that the tall, pleasantly calm woman was not from this planet. Kara had tried to bring it up before in an effort to befriend the doctor, casually mentioning that she, herself, was technically an alien, but it backfired. Dr. Yanez remained aloof around her, leaving Kara to feel awkward and weird every time they crossed paths.

“It’s definitely an electro-magnet,” Dr. Yanez confirmed, her voice muffled by a scarf wrapped around her face. “Well, a group of them anyway. That’s why they’re refrigerating the room—the machines generate a lot of heat, which can destroy the magnetic properties…” her speech ended mid sentence as she walked around the room, running her gloved hands along the machines. “I’m just guessing, but this array would be capable of producing a very powerful charge, possibly in excess of 100 Teslas.”

Based on the way she said it, Kara assumed that must be an impressive number. “And that’s a lot?” She turned to Alex and whispered, “Is that a lot? I have no idea what she’s talking about.”

“Yes, it’s a lot. About 200 times more powerful than Earth’s magnetic field. Certainly powerful enough to pull in an asteroid if it came close enough. Assuming it had the correct mineral composition of course, it might…” the scientist retreated into her own thoughts again, exploring the room on her own.

“Okay, so dumb question: magnets attract metal, right?” Dr. Yanez didn’t answer right away, so Kara kept talking. “Why isn’t there a bunch of metal flying at this building right now? Like ladders and cars and stuff.”

“Apparently this particular magnet is calibrated to attract a metal not found on this earth. Various extra-terrestrial metals are abundant in asteroids—I imagine the goal of this magnet would be to draw the asteroids containing those metals to earth for extraction.”

“Why though?” Alex interjected. “That seems like a lot of risk for little gain.”

Kara felt completely out of her depth in this conversation, but could tell they were getting closer to an explanation. She walked along the shelves again, letting her hand bounce against the barrels and repeating the names on the labels to herself again “Cerium, Samarium, Promethium, Praseodymium, ooh that one’s hard to say,” then stopped dead in her tracks in front of a barrel she hadn’t noticed before. “Krypton,” she read aloud, stroking the label with her fingertip.

She lifted the barrel carefully from the shelf and carried it back toward Alex and Dr. Yanez, who were deep in conversation.

“… do you think you can figure out which metal they’re after?” Alex looked concerned.

Dr. Yanez nodded. “If you get me enough meteorite samples, I should be able to isolate the minerals and figure out which the magnet is meant to target. It would be a lot easier if you let me turn it back on.” The scientist looked at the machines longingly.

“Absolutely not. They stay off,” Alex asserted.

“I think I have an idea,” Kara interjected, setting the barrel down in front of the scientist, who looked down at the label, confused. 

“Krypton? That’s a gas—it wouldn’t interact with a magnet at all.” 

Kara pulled off the lid and gasped. Even though it was what she expected, the barrel’s contents came as a shock: a dusty, grey dirt, she immediately recognized as part of her home world. 

“Is that? No…” Alex groaned and wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulder. “I’m sorry K.” 

“I’m just guessing here,” Kara turned toward Dr. Yanez, “but I bet if you analyze this soil and the meteorites we’ve collected, you’ll find they contain high levels of Obdurium, an abundant metal on the former planet Krypton.” Her voice caught on the word ‘former,’ so she paused.

“I’ve heard of it,” Dr. Yanez began. “And, that would make sense if one were…” 

Kara noticed a corner of white paper peeking out from under the barrel, and tilted it to reveal a shipping invoice, stuck to its underside. She looked it over, then handed it to Alex, who read the recipient and groaned, “LexCorp. Of course.”

“That would make sense,” Kara continued the scientist’s thought, “if one were fishing for Kryptonite. We need to find Clark now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments, folks who've left 'em! I kind of hate the title of this story, so if anyone has suggestions for a new one, send them my way. 
> 
> BTW, I think this thing is going to end up being 10 chapters total, and I've written a lot ahead, so I should be able to keep posting updates pretty regularly until it's finished.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Supergirl & Co. have to act fast to stop Lex Luthor, but it turns out that’s the easy part: getting your cousin and sister to get along? Not so much.

“Have I mentioned how much I hate this plan?” Clark sneered. “I get that she’s family to you, but honestly Kara, I don’t work with suits for a reason.” 

“And I don’t work with pompous, over-groomed civilians who forget they’re lucky the suits saved their tails. Lex Luthor had enough Kryponite to make you as useless as that curly-q on your coif, bub.” Alex huffed. Then, seeing the stern look Kara shot her, she batted her eyes and added: “However, I’m willing to play nice since it matters to my dear sister, who I love so very much.”

“Seriously, how is it so impossible for you two to get along? No, that was a rhetorical question,” Kara snapped as Clark opened his mouth to respond. “I get it, you hate the government because they did the thing with the thing… whatever, I don’t really care.” 

“And you!” She turned to Alex, “Seriously, is this just because you don’t like his hair?”

“No. But he does clearly use too much product,” Alex argued before Kara interrupted her again.

“Unbelievable. How is THIS the hard part of today?”

Surprisingly, capturing Lex Luthor had been the easy part. After shutting down the electro magnets, the DEO followed a Kryptonite radioactive signature to another bunker secreted underneath Luthor’s country home near Smallville. In an unbelievable stroke of luck, the villain was there, standing in the middle of a massive stockpile of Kryptonite. Kara nearly passed out as soon as they opened the hatch, but Alex and the DEO agents, unaffected by the green mineral, arrested him on the spot. 

Clark had refused to go with them, but met them later at Metropolis’ secure DEO facility later, staring in disbelief as they dragged the handcuffed magnate off to his cell. 

Later, the three were seated around a table in a small conference room, trying to figure out what to do with Luthor now that he was in custody. Since Kryptonite possession isn’t actually a crime, and meteoric manipulation and mass destruction would be almost impossible to prove, finding something to charge him with was proving to be almost as difficult as keeping Alex and Clark in the same room.

“I know you government types think you can do whatever you want, but you can’t keep him here without bringing formal charges.” Clark was frustrated. “Besides, even if you could, someone is going to notice the head of a multi-billion dollar corporation going missing, don’t you think?”  
“Luckily, he told his staff he was going to the country house for a couple days and that he wasn’t to be disturbed, so we’ve got a little bit of time.” 

“Sounds like you’re counting a little too much on luck to me. This whole thing is going to blow up in our faces. And, I don’t know how, but somehow he’s going to walk away clean, just like he always does.”

“Actually, that’s a good point, Superbro! This wouldn’t be a problem if you could keep your own baddies in check.” Alex grinned and added, “Too busy getting your chest waxed?”

Kara steeled herself to interject and beg them to be reasonable one more time.

“She’s right.” Clark sounded defeated. 

Alex sat up, confused. “What’s that now?”

“Well, obviously you’re wrong about the waxing, but Lex is my responsibility. I should have taken him down years ago. He’s just so…”

“Handsome? Noble? Sophisticated?” They looked up as Lex Luthor himself strolled into the room, clearly relishing the surprise on the occupants’ faces. “I assume that sentence was headed for a complimentary conclusion. Wasn’t it, Mr. Kent?” He smiled menacingly at Clark, who sat, stone-faced in his chair.

Kara hadn’t gotten a good look at the man before, and she found herself a bit captivated by the tall, charismatic bald man. He appeared to notice, and leaned to wink in her direction. 

That broke the spell. “Wow, this is amazing! I honestly forgot what was happening for a second.”

Luthor dissolved in a shimmer of light and Hank appeared in his place, modestly pleased with his performance. “Thank you Kara. I’ve watched many videos to learn his unique speech patterns.” He paused, then added, “I don’t like him.”

“Okay… that was more convincing than I expected,” a stunned Clark admitted. “I still think it’s a bad plan, but let’s talk it out.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Obviously Luthor has refused to cooperate, but we don’t need him. Hank makes the announcement in his disguise. Lex won’t be able to go back on it once it’s out in public—it would be a PR disaster. That’ll give us some leverage.”

“So it’ll be a press conference?” Hank sounded uncertain.

“No, a press conference is too hard to control. An announcement like this… he’d probably do an interview,” Clark reasoned.

“Okay, so let’s do an interview.” Alex clapped her hands. “Call Lois and we’ll set it up with her.”

“That won’t work. The real Lex would never talk to her, after everything she’s written about him.” Clark knitted his eyebrows in thought.

“Who then? Perry? They get along, right?”

Clark shook his head. “Yeah, they golf sometimes, but that doesn’t feel right either… Oh!” his eyes lit up with realization, then darkened again. 

“I know who he’d talk to, but Lois is going to be pissed. She hates getting scooped by her.” He looked up at Kara, “actually, you might not like it much either.”

Kara saw where this was headed. “Oh no, Cat Grant?”

Clark nodded. “He’s kind of always had a crush on her. She’s who he would go to for something like this.”

“Of course.” She face-planted onto the table at the idea of encountering her old boss again. “This is going to be so awkward.”

 

Cat came by private jet, arriving at the DEO compound later that same evening. Kara waited for Alex and Hank to escort her in, via a long hallway that reverberated with each click of the Queen of All Media’s designer heels. 

The last month had made it feel more natural to act like Supergirl all the time, but one sight of Ms. Grant was enough to make it all feel like a charade again. Kara coughed and reminded herself to stand up straight, then choked as she spotted Winn at the back of her small entourage. She had to physically restrain herself from running to greet her friend, reminding herself that Supergirl didn’t really know him. He likewise pretended to barely notice her, but hung back a bit from the group until it was clear no one would notice them talking.

“Hey stranger,” he grinned.

“Winn,” she hissed, “what on earth are you doing here?”

“I have no idea. Ms. Grant told me to come with her to some meeting.” Winn rubbed his neck, embarrassed. “I’m pretty sure she still has no idea who I am, so maybe she thinks I’m her new assistant.”

“Wait, who is her assistant?”

“Honestly, I stopped trying to keep track. She just fired one this morning, which brings the total to twelve, since you left. I think. Maybe 13, actually.” 

“Oh no. I’m sorry. I can’t imagine that’s been easy on anyone in the office.”

“No, but it’s to be expected. You left some pretty big shoes to fill.” He smiled kindly, but Kara could see her friend was exhausted, and she felt horrible for the part she’d likely played in that.

“So, how is everyone else? How’s James?”

“Umm, he’s good?” Winn shifted his feet uncomfortably, clearly holding something back.

“Why are you being weird? Did something happen?” Kara hated having to pry information out of Winn. “We both know you’re going to tell me, so just tell me.”

“He, uh, he and Lucy got back together again,” Winn stuttered.

“Oh.” Kara stepped back to assess her feelings, and discovered she felt relieved, which was weird. She would definitely have to follow up with herself on that later. “Oh, okay. Good for him! I’m glad he’s moving on.” 

As the words came out, she realized they were sincere. She was actually happy for him. Kara smiled, proud of herself for displaying such maturity.

Winn looked flummoxed, but didn’t have a chance to follow up, before Cat walked over to the two of them. “Oh, Supergirl, I didn’t see you before,” she droned indifferently before turning her attention to Winn. “I’m going into my meeting now. You can wait out here with these agents until we’re finished. I suppose they’ll have some non-disclosure forms to keep you occupied.”

“Of course, Ms. Grant,” Winn stammered as he was ushered into another room.

Kara slipped into the main conference room and leaned against the wall with Clark, who’d been waiting for them.

“I won’t disrespect your time by beating around the bush, Ms. Grant.” Alex led the discussion, taking a seat next to Hank at a broad conference table. “At the moment, we have Lex Luthor in custody.”

Cat’s eyes widened at the admission. “And which letters will we be using to spell that royal ‘we’? I’d guess DOD, but their budget is much higher than whatever this operation is. So that leaves… CIA? FBI? Oh god, please tell me you aren’t DOJ.”

Hank chuckled and responded warmly, “Our affiliation is unimportant, as are the particulars of why Mr. Luthor is being held, so I wouldn’t waste your valuable time inquiring about that.” 

Alex held up a hand when Cat tried to speak, indicating there wouldn’t be any elaboration on that point. “What we will tell you,” she continued, “is that as part of an out-of-court settlement we’ve reached with him, Mr. Luthor will be making a major public announcement via a sit-down interview. We’d like to offer that opportunity to you.”

“And where would this interview take place? I assume it won’t be at a place of Lex’s choosing.” Cat clearly suspected the operation wasn’t entirely above board.

“Correct. We’ve constructed a small soundstage within this facility to accommodate the interview,” Alex spoke candidly, but carefully. “And no, that will not be up for discussion within the scope of the interview. It is in the best interest of everyone involved, including Mr. Luthor, that no one knows he’s being detained. For all intents and purposes, this interview is being conducted in a room at an undisclosed LexCorp location.”

“I have concerns,” Cat began, removing her glasses.

“We’re happy to address them,” Hank replied.

“Alright, let’s talk.” Cat squinted severely and replaced her glasses before launching into a tirade.

“I can tell you right now that even having this conversation violates every one of my journalistic principles, which yes,” Cat steamrolled over the interjection Alex was about to make, “even a former gossip columnist has. In addition, I’m sure you’re breaking about nine different laws just to keep him here. Add to that a coerced interview? I won’t play puppet to some shadowy government operation and interview someone under duress.”

“Quite frankly Ms. Grant, you’re partially here because Mr. Luthor requested it…”

“That makes sense,” Cat interrupted, “Lex has been trying to sleep with me for years. Unsuccessfully of course.” 

“More importantly,” Alex breezed past, “we brought you here because Supergirl said you were someone who could be trusted.” She gestured to Kara, who fidgeted nervously in the corner. 

“As I said before, this is part of a settlement to which Mr. Luthor has already agreed. But, if you can’t overcome your concerns, we understand. I’m sure the Daily Planet would be more than happy to oblige.”

“Bullshit.” Cat called Alex’s bluff, but it had obviously started the wheels turning in her head. “Even they agree to this, which is doubtful, Lex hates Lois Lane. He’d never do a one-on-one with her—anyone with half a brain would see right through it.”

“Of course, but as I’m sure you know, he is friendly with Perry White, who I’m sure would love to have the exclusive.”

Cat frowned, but did not concede.

Alex sighed, “Fine, Ms. Grant. Let’s not waste any more of each others’ time.” She pushed her chair back from the table to leave the room.

“Wait.” Cat drummed her fingertips on the table furiously. “I’ll do it. But I talk to him off-camera first. If anything seems fishy, I pull the plug immediately.” 

“Deal.” Alex offered a handshake, which Cat coolly ignored.

“Let’s get set up then. I assume we’re doing this today.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat Grant and Lex Luthor have a chat, while Kara tries not to embarrass herself. One of those things goes well.

“I understand we’re on a tight timeline here, but was this really the best you could do?” Cat Grant prowled the interview set, patently displeased. She ran a manicured fingertip down one freshly-painted wall, “still tacky. That explains the smell.”

Kara snickered. She had grabbed a seat just off-camera, so she had a front row seat to her ex-boss’ antics. In a way, it was comforting to know that Cat remained as uncompromising as ever. It was also a little terrifying, she remembered, watching her berate the agents rushing to put finishing touches on the set.

“Ms. Grant,” Alex strained to be polite, but had clearly reached her last reserves of patience. “I apologize if it isn’t up to your usual standards, but it’s adequate for what we need. You’ve made broadcast arrangements on your end, correct?”

“Yes. We’ll stream live on the all CatCo websites in,” Cat glanced at her Cartier watch, “oh, 20 minutes, and it will be picked up my every major network by the evening news. Unless I change my mind. Speaking of which, where is Mr. Luthor?”

“Agents are escorting him down as we speak.”

“Fine. I don’t suppose you have any coffee that’s actually drinkable, do you?”

Before Alex could respond, Kara bounced out of her seat and offered, “I’ll get it Ms. Grant. A latte?”

Cat raised an eyebrow, recognizing the familiarity of this exchange. “Yes, that would be nice. But only if it’s no trouble for you, Supergirl.” She emphasized the name strangely.

“Oh, I was going to get myself a cup anyway, so it’s no big deal.” Kara stammered and rushed to the kitchen, closing the door firmly behind her and banging her forehead against it gently. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.” 

“Uh-oh, what’d you do?” Winn was leaning up against the counter near the microwave, holding a half-eaten cheese Danish. 

“Oh, you know, I just basically outed myself to Cat Grant as Kara Danvers, her former assistant slash current dumbass.” She walked over and rummaged through the cupboards for a pair of mugs.

“Really? How?”

“She said she wanted some coffee. So I popped up and volunteered like, ‘Oh, I’ll get you a latte’ because that’s been my job for over 2 years, but oh wait, NO it hasn’t because I’m Supergirl, who doesn’t get coffee for any… Oh crap.” Somewhere in the middle of her rant, she’d forgotten her strength and crushed the mug she was holding into dust. 

Winn fished around in the closet and produced a broom. “Eh, you’ve still got plausible deniability. She’s probably suspicious, but if you have to, you can always pull another body double stunt.”

The door cracked open and Alex slid in.

“Okay first of all,” Alex raised a finger, “she is the worst. I don’t know how you put up with that for so long,” she added, turning to face Kara. “Although I guess it probably helps that you have a massive crush on her.”

“Huh? No, that was just force of habit. And stress-induced stupidity.”

“Oh we’ll get to that. But come on, this can’t possibly be news. It’s a whole thing you do: you meet a an attractive older woman you admire, then you try to impress her and forget how to be a person. It’s kind of adorable actually. Like with Dr. Yanez.”

Kara’s cheeks flushed. “Oh I don’t have a crush on her, I just want her to like me because she’s smart and I want to know which planet she’s from.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Fine, but it’s still a thing, ever since that professor you dated Sophomore year in college.”

“She was a grad student, and you know it, Alex!” Kara had to focus to keep from ripping off the handle of the coffeepot she now held.

Winn’s ears perked up, “I thought you said…”

“Save it Winn,” Kara cut him off, “Still not gay. Mostly I date dudes, but I guess I do kind of have a type with ladies too.” She bit her lip thoughtfully, stirring milk into their coffees. “Would it really be so bad if she knew though?”

“Well that depends,” Alex snorted. “Do you think she’s interested in you?”

”No,” Kara protested. “Of course she isn’t. But that’s not what I meant: I mean, would it be so bad if she knew who I am?”

“Honestly, I can’t even think about that right now.” Alex looked worn out. “Let’s just get through this, and then we can figure the Cat Grant situation out later.”

They walked back to find Cat and Lex sitting in tense silence. He was stretched out on the beige sofa, evidently pleased with something he’s said, while Cat glared from her sea-foam green armchair, adjusting the microphone clipped to the neckline of her dress.

“Glad to see you two are getting along,” Alex drawled. “Can we proceed, Ms. Grant?”

“Yes, Mr. Luthor is as vile as ever, but he seems to be in his right mind.” She consulted her watch. “

“I don’t know why you try to fight it, Cat,” Lex leaned forward, grinning. “Everyone knows you find me irresistible.”

Cat ignored him and reached out for the mug Kara offered. She took a sip then scowled.

“Oh, did it get cold?” Kara realized she’d taken a while to come back with the coffee.

“It’s fine.”

“No, no, let me fix it.” Kara took back the cup and zapped it quickly with her eyes. “There you go. Piping hot again.”

Cat appraised her for a moment before taking a sip. “That is better. You know, aside from what I make myself, this is the first cup of properly hot coffee I’ve had since my old assistant left. I think you met her once or twice—Keira?”

“Yeah, I uh, think I remember her.” Kara suddenly felt very self-conscious, so she whispered “good luck,” and scurried off the set. 

She watched the interview with Alex, Clark, and the real Lex via a live feed in his cell. Lex hadn’t spoken a word to any of them since being brought to the facility, but when he saw the screen flicker on with Cat and a man who looked exactly like him, his nostrils flared with rage.

“What is this?” He growled.

“Lex Luthor is giving an interview with Cat Grant today.” Clark said innocently. “Didn’t you hear?”

Lex balled his fists and watched the screen intently.

Cat straightened in her seat as the camera man counted down to the moment they went live, then she faced the camera and spoke, kind but firm.

“Hello, Cat Grant here. I’m sitting at LexCorp, with the tech giant’s founder and CEO, Lex Luthor. Now Lex, I understand you have something very personal you’d like to share with the world, but especially your beloved city, Metropolis.”

“That’s correct, Cat. But first I’d like to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to help me out. We’ve known each other a long time, so it’s nice to share this moment with a true friend.”

Cat was a real professional, so only someone who knew her well, like Kara, could see the disdain flashing across her eyes when she continued. “I couldn’t agree more Lex. Go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind.”

“Well Cat, as you know, much of the world was damaged in the asteroid incident and meteor showers over the last month, and Metropolis was hit particularly hard. I’ve lived in Metropolis for most of my adult life, and it pains me on a deeply personal level to see the city I love in crisis. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it, and I want to help.”

“And how would you like to help, Lex?” Cat probed gently.

“I want to offer LexCorp’s full cooperation in rebuilding the city. I haven’t determined the exact shape that assistance will take, but expect a plan from us in the coming days. In addition, I want to announce, that I am making a personal donation of $100 million dollars to the city toward reconstruction efforts.”

Clark had to restrain Lex, as the business man lost all control the instant Hank said “$100 million.”

“If you think this is going to work,” he threatened through gritted teeth, “forget it. I will sue you and the government into the next century. Every person in this building is already dead,”

Alex just grinned. “What’s that Lex? You want to make it $150 million? Wow, that’s really generous of you!” She repeated the figure into the mic on her wristwatch, and grinned as Hank announced the revision.

She turned back to Luthor, grinning. “Do you want to keep going, or would you like to shut up and keep some of your money?” 

Before he could stop himself, Clark reached over to give Alex a high five. He’d obviously underestimated her.

In the end, a very disgruntled Luthor agreed to write the check as reparations for his part in the destruction of the city. In return, he got off with no criminal charges and (most of) his fortune intact; plus it a huge boost in favorability with the public. He probably should have seen it as a win, but it was clear they’d really hit him where it hurt. 

 

“Woof, this place is wrecked.” Kara and Clark floated side-by-side above the skyline later that night, surveying the damage Lex Luthor’s meteors had caused. She was trying to stay optimistic, but knew this would take years to fix. “Fortunately, the city has that generous grant from the Lex Luthor to begin reconstruction.”

Clark smirked. He hated that they hadn’t been able to put Luthor away for good. It was clear he’d be back to causing trouble soon, but the knowledge that they’d taken a major chunk out of his bottom line helped to soften the blow. “We really are lucky to have such a magnanimous benefactor in our midst. I’ll have to find a special way to pay him back sometime.”

“Ooh that was good, very menacing. You might have a future in writing action movies!” Kara laughed a little too hard at her own joke and ended up doubled over and coughing. 

Clark rolled his eyes. “Honestly, how do you manage to be such a spaz?”

“Oh, give me a break. The sky has literally been falling down around us for over a month, plus we just successfully kidnapped and technically extorted a megalomaniacal billionaire. I’m relieved, and I’m exhausted. So yeah, I may be a little more spastic than normal.”

“Fair enough.” Clark decided to change the subject. “So, what are you going to do now that the sky isn’t falling anymore? I’d love it if you stayed in Metropolis so we could continue our sort-of crime spree, but I’m sure National City misses their girl.” 

“I don’t know if they miss me, but I do want to go home. I think I still have an apartment, and even a couple of friends. I definitely don’t have a job, but I'm pretty sure I can get it back.”

“CatCo again? Good luck. I’d forgotten how tough she is.”

“Don’t worry about it; I’ve got a plan,” Kara reassured him (or herself?). “Well, I will soon. It’s going to be brilliant and it’s totally going to work.”

“Sounds foolproof.”

“Might not be spaz-proof though.” Kara laughed and did a slow spin, taking in the sun. “Oh, hey! Did you know James and Lucy got back together?”

“Yeah, Lois told me a few days ago.” He paused, before proceeding carefully. “And how do you feel about that news? I know you and Jimmy kind of had a thing.”

“We did, sort of, it just never really went anywhere. But I like Lucy, and James is a great guy, so I feel good about it I guess? I hope they make each other happy.” 

“That’s mature.”

“Thanks, I know!” Kara thought about going home and seeing them together though, and it felt… a little too soon.

“Anyway,” she continued, “I think I’ll stick around here for a couple more weeks. Sounds like all is well in National City, and you guys could obviously use an extra set of muscles.” She flexed proudly, then added, “how much trouble do you think we can get ourselves into in 2 weeks?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Kara to head home and beg for her job back. Featuring 2 balcony scenes, because apparently I'm a sucker for those.

The remaining weeks Kara spent in Metropolis were comfortably busy, full of hard work, lots of food, and surprisingly little mischief. She and Clark spent every morning helping with construction around the city—carrying away debris, helping lift beams into place. It wasn’t completely necessary since the building crews were more than capable, but it felt good to help speed the process along. 

They would work for 5 hours or so, then after lunch, Clark spent the afternoons showing Kara the city and teaching her about photography. He gave her one of his old cameras to practice with, and discovered she was a natural with composition thanks to her experience as a painter, but faced a steep learning curve when it came to the technological end. 

Kara had never spent this much quality time with her cousin before, and she wished she could have stayed longer, but once the city started to look more put together, she knew there was no reason to.

So, on her last night in Metropolis, the cousins sat out on the hotel balcony, reviewing the photos she’d taken over the last week. Clark was scrolling through the images on the screen of the camera, critiquing her work half-seriously.”

“Hmm I don’t know about this one, Kara.” He zoomed in on a photo she’d taken of some street vendors and a crowded sidewalk. “It’s a bit derivative, don’t you think?”

She had stopped listening, recognizing the calm, warm certainty she occasionally felt, that this was one of those rare moments she’d always remember fondly; a memory she could bring out in the hard times as proof that sometimes, even if just for an evening, life could be perfect.

“I love you, Clark.”

“Love you too, kid.” He stared at her for a second, then looked away. “I’m actually going to miss you—it’s been nice spending time together the last couple of months. I wish it hadn’t been in such a crappy context, but I’ll take what I can get. You’re a good egg.”

“I’ll miss you too, weirdo.”

It was difficult for her to leave the next morning, but as the skyline for National City sped into view on her flight home, she knew it was the right decision. It was good to be home.

She spent the day cleaning her apartment, checking in with the DEO, and getting in some quality time with Alex and Winn, plotting how she could convince Cat Grant to re-hire her. They had a few ideas, but nothing solid. 

That night, she paced her apartment, frustrated, until she couldn’t take it anymore. She snuck out her apartment window in her Supergirl suit and took to the sky, hoping to clear her head and get a flash of inspiration. She flew slowly for a while, not paying much attention to where she was headed, then realized she’d instinctively taken herself right to the CatCo building, hovering outside Cat’s office.

Cat was there, on her dimly-lit terrace with a drink in her hand, and gave a little wave when she saw the hero approach. 

“Well, the prodigal daughter returns. Can National City expect our hero to stick around for a while, or is this a short visit?”

“I’m back. For good as far as I’m concerned.”

“Welcome back then. And to what do I owe this particular visit?”

Kara hesitated. She suddenly had an idea, but wasn’t sure if it was any good. It was impulsive, and maybe a little reckless, but it could work. She thought it over for a second, then blurted. “Ms. Grant, can I please show you something?”

Cat checked her watch “I suppose so, as long as it doesn’t take much time.”

“Oh, okay, well it’s kind of… up there,” she replied, pointing up to the sky.

“Up? You mean flying.”

“I know our flight record isn’t exactly stellar, but I promise I won’t let you fall. And if you feel unsafe for even a second, I’ll bring you back down right away.”

“I don’t know…”

“Please? I promise it will be worth it.”

Cat sighed, as if accepting her fate. “Alright. We only live once, I suppose. But I swear, if you drop me…” the threat trailed off, but Kara didn’t need to hear the end of it. 

“I promise I won’t drop you.”

“Then I acquiesce.”

Kara laughed, then remembered, “Do you have a coat Ms. Grant? It gets cold up there.”

Cat slipped into her office for a minute and returned wearing a smooth, camel hair pea coat and sleek black leather gloves.

“How does this work then?” Cat held her arms out limply, like a child waiting to be held.

“Well, piggyback would be good, except the cape gets in the way. So you can stand on my feet with your arms over my shoulders like we were dancing, or I can just carry you in my arms. I know, they’re both kind of awkward.”

Cat thought a moment. “Well, it isn’t very dignified to be carried like a child, but that does sound more secure.” She looked deeply uncomfortable.

Kara chuckled. “I’m sorry, but it really will be worth it.” She slipped one arm around Cat’s waist, bent to place the other behind her knees, and lifted her off the ground. Cat draped an arm across her shoulders for support. “You okay?” 

Cat’s mouth was clenched shut, along with her eyes, but she nodded.

“Alright, I’ll take us up slowly. You won’t even know it’s happening.” She floated them up until they drifted about 20 feet over the balcony. “Can you open your eyes? I want to make sure you’re okay before we go any higher?”

Cat peeled her eyes open slowly, and inhaled sharply, gripping her cape. Kara could hear her heart pounding, and was about to take them back down when Cat whispered, “It’s fine. Just nerves.”

“Are you sure?”

Cat nodded.

“Okay, then hang on. We’re going to fly a little faster now.”

She took them away from the city and high, until the lights from the buildings faded to scattered specks of light, and the night sky opened above them in a glittering display of innumerable stars.

“I’d take you higher if I could, but the air would get too thin, and it’s cold enough as is.”

Cat shivered in response, so Kara adjusted her cape and wrapped it around her like a blanket.

“Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed, it’s nice to come up here and be reminded of how small we are. Earth is just a little speck compared to this, which is a good thing to remember when it feels like it’s resting on my shoulders. You must feel that sometimes.”

“Supergirl, as much as I appreciate the view, and the sentiment, I am freezing. If we could cut to the chase, I’d appreciate it.”

“Well then, I need to ask you a favor.”

“And you brought me to this altitude for what? Leverage?”

“Oh, like to threaten you? No, never. I just thought it would help you understand. The thing is…” She paused to consider the wisdom of what she was about to say, then launched in: “Ms. Grant, can I please have my job back?”

For a moment, Cat looked dumbstruck as the full weight of the statement sunk in, then collected herself. “So we’re done pretending now, Keira?”

“It hasn’t done me any good, has it?”

“No, though that stunt with the look-alike did throw me off your scent for a few days. I still haven’t worked out how you did that, but honestly, when flight and x-ray vision are already on the table, it isn't a stretch to believe shape-shifting too.”

“Oh, I can’t shape-shift.”

“You know someone who can. The same that impersonated Lex the other week, I’d wager.”

Kara started, “Uh, no… that wasn’t…”

“Relax.” Cat cut her off, “I have no intention of rocking the government-dark-arts boat, or spilling your secrets either. It’s all safe with me.” Cat seemed distracted for a moment, then snapped back. “Why would you even want to come back? Assuming I’d have you, that is.”

“Do you remember when I told you that night on your balcony that being Supergirl made me the happiest I’d ever been?” 

Cat nodded.

Kara sighed. “Well, that’s true—helping people is still the best part of my life, but the last month... I realized it can’t be the only part. I need a normal life, because it gives me perspective, the same way coming up here does. It’s nice to go to work and know that for those hours, instead of feeling like I’m under the weight of the world, my greatest worries will be whether or not I’m keeping your schedule organized and your coffee hot.”

“Is that all I paid you for? No wonder it was so easy to walk away.” If Kara didn’t know any better, she’d think Cat sounded hurt.

“Ms. Grant, I hope you understand how much I valued working for you. I learned so much about what it means to be a woman with power, and how to handle that pressure. There isn’t a single person on this planet who could teach me about that better than you. Well, maybe the President, but you’ve got her on speed dial, right?”

Cat gave a wry smile. Flattery never hurt.

“Please believe that I would never have thrown that opportunity away if it were my choice. I couldn’t be selfish. But now things are back to normal, especially now that you know my situation, I’m confident I could manage both better, and be as valuable to you as you are to me.”

“Well, Keira, as valuable as I’m sure you’d be, technically the position isn’t available. However, I don’t expect the current girl to last the week, so if it does become available, I will certainly consider you.” Cat’s teeth had started to chatter. “Now can we please go back down?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was hard to write for some reason. Do you guys think it was a good idea for Kara to tell Cat who she is (even though she obvs already knew)? I'll have the next bit up in a few days, so you can see how it plays out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara makes her triumphal* return to CatCo.
> 
> *Awkward and confusing, but also generally positive I guess?

After their flight, Kara wondered how long it would take before she heard anything from Cat. A natural optimist, she believed she definitely would get her job back, but figured it would be a few days at least. 

Instead, she got a text the next afternoon: “Tomorrow, 7:45 am. Bring coffee.”

And so, at 7:42 the next morning, Kara found herself grinning as she stepped out of the elevator into the CatCo offices. Nothing had really changed, she could tell, but it felt new all the same.

She took a minute to soak it in, before she heard the private elevator ding, signaling Cat’s arrival. Cat strode out, and Kara caught up, matching her stride.

“Good morning Ms. Grant,” she handed her one of the Noonan’s cups she held, “how would you like to get started today?”

“We need to discuss the terms of your return.” Cat motioned for Kara to follow her into her office, then sat behind her desk.

“Obviously your situation is unique, but I want to be clear: regardless of who you are outside of these offices, when you’re within these walls, you work for me, and I deserve your best work.”

“Of course.”

“I’m aware your other responsibilities will sometimes intervene, and I am willing to make accommodations,” Cat continued, “but I expect you to keep me in the loop and make up lost time.”

“I understand. That’s fair.” This was going much better than Kara hoped.

“Also, now that it’s no longer necessary for you to sell me on the the whole, unassuming, mousy assistant angle, I trust I’ll see fewer cardigans? I wouldn’t expect a full overhaul, but somewhere between the norm and that week you were evil should be fine.”

“Oh,” Kara groaned. “I’m still sorry about that, by the way.”

“Keira, you must learn to stop apologizing so much. It’s a sign of weakness.”

“Oh, like letting you call me the wrong name?” Kara almost stopped the words from slipping out. Almost.

“Ha! It’s about time you found your backbone.” Cat looked pleased. “Although, I think it’s best if I continue calling you Keira at the office to maintain the status quo. You’ll be Supergirl in the situations where that makes sense, but outside those areas, I will use your real name.”

“Which is? I’m not totally convinced you know it.”

“Of course I do, Kara.” Cat sighed. 

Kara’s cheeks flushed. “So you have been doing it on purpose?!”

“The Keira thing started as an honest mistake, but by the time I realized I’d been saying it wrong… it was just too amusing, especially once I could tell how much it bothered you.” Cat looked cross. “Now that I’ve said that out loud, it sounds a little petty.” 

“It is, but I forgive you.”

The elevator dinged outside the glass of Cat’s office, and the first of the staff began shuffling in for the day.

“Oh, that wasn’t an apology.” Cat pulled out her tablet and started tapping. “My last assistant made a real mess of my calendar, so you can start by fixing that.” She looked up and added with a knowing grin, "Chop chop Keira.”

Kara spun on her heel and got right to work, barely looking up from her desk for a few hours. Cat was right—the calendar was a disaster, and she had to spend the entire morning reformatting it. 

“Shit shit!” Kara cursed under her breath, having accidentally deleted an entire week of December. 

“Kara?” James had walked right past her while she was working and had to backtrack a few paces. “You’re back? I mean, I heard you were coming back, but I didn’t know it was today.” 

He leaned down to give her a hug. An awkward, one-armed hug, she noted unhappily.

“Yep! First day. It’s a little weird, but I’m glad to see everyone.” She paused, trying to remember how to do office talk. “I’m glad to see you! How are you? How’s Lucy?”

James faltered, looking perplexed.

“Winn told me. It’s okay,” Kara reassured him.

“I’m good! Work is busy, but good.... and Lucy is great.” James inhaled, considering whether or not to continue, then added, “We’re in a really good place, actually. We’re getting married.”

Kara coughed, hoping to disguise that her eyes nearly bugged out of her skull. Engaged already? She’d been only been gone for what, 2 months? 

“Wow,” she managed. “Congratulations! That was fast. And good, obviously. Fast and good.”

“Well, yeah, I guess it is quick, but we’ve known each other a long time. And you know, we were engaged before so… We’ve both changed and it just feels right this time.” James pulled on his collar uncomfortably. “I should go back to work, but we should definitely all catch up later. I’ll talk to Winn.”

“Yeah, that sounds great,” Kara chirped to his back as he hurried away. She sunk down low in her chair then looked up to see Cat staring at her from her desk, evidently irritated.

“Keira!”

Kara rushed over. “Yes, Ms. Grant?”

“Close the door.” She waited. “What the hell was that?”

“With James? We haven’t seen each other, so he was just saying hi.”  
“Right. And that made you want to disappear inside your chair, why?”

Kara blushed. “Oh no, it’s not like that…”

“Please Kara, don’t insult my intelligence. You’ve always followed him like a puppy, and now that he’s back with little Lane, you’re embarrassed.” 

Kara was stunned, half because Cat had actually used her name, again, and half because apparently she knew everything. “What?”

“Come on Kara, I would be a pretty terrible journalist if I couldn’t keep track of what’s going on under my own nose.” Cat crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair smugly. “You can do much better than that, you know. You aren’t some shrinking violet.” 

“Oh, well thank you, Ms. Grant. I think? Kara was uncertain where this was headed.

“And not just because of the Supergirl thing, although that doesn’t hurt. You’ve got plenty to work with on your own, if you’re willing to assert yourself, and develop a real sense of self.” She tapped a fingernail against the rim of her glasses. “I don't know why, but I feel responsible for you now, so I’m going to help you.”

“Okay. What does that mean, exactly?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” Cat swirled her third cup of coffee, now stone cold, then held it out to Kara daintily. “Give this a little zap for me, would you?” 

Kara looked over her shoulder out onto the busy office floor. “Seriously? Are you crazy?”

“Relax, no one’s watching. And you can go out on the balcony if you’re so worried about it.”

Kara did, then returned with the cup, steaming hot again.

“I assume you’ll be out on super duty tonight?” Cat resumed after taking a sip.

“Probably.”

“Well, Carter’s at his Dad’s this week, so I’ll be here. Drop by if you have time and we can get started.”

“Uh, okay.” Kara felt completely lost in this conversation now. “Yeah, I’ll come if things aren’t too crazy.”

“Excellent.” Cat tapped her tablet awake again and resumed reading an email. “That’s all for now Keira.”

"Alright. Thank you Ms. Grant." A bewildered Kara drifted back to her desk, her head spinning from the last half hour: James engaged; Cat behaving... strangely.

Winn waited for her to sit down, then hissed, “What happened in there?” 

“I honestly have no idea.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat has an idea to help Kara get her groove back. It goes... well?

That night, after stopping a kidnapping and a few more of the run-of-the-mill crimes Kara had gotten used to in her time as Supergirl, Kara flew back over to the CatCo building, still confused about the conversation she’d had earlier with her boss. It sounded like Cat wanted to help her build her confidence, but the more she thought about what that could possibly entail, the less she felt confident about anything at all.

Kara dipped over the railing onto the balcony, and looked in to see Cat sitting on the couch with a martini, watching TV with a blank expression. 

She looked up as Kara tapped on the glass door, and motioned her in.

“Oh, Kara I’m glad you came. Come sit down.” She patted the seat next to her, then pulled out a laptop and started typing something.

Kara sat down, as confused as ever. “Ms. Grant?” 

“Now, listen,” Cat started. “I know this is a little unorthodox, but I think if you give it a try, you might have fun and gain some confidence. Lord knows you could use some.”

“What…?” She leaned over to see what Cat was doing on the computer screen, then whipped her head back and buried her face in her hands, horrified. “Oh no, you can’t be serious!”

Cat had a browser window opened to a website Kara didn’t recognize at first, but she read the banner, “Meet Your Match!” sandwiched between smiling couples. It was a dating site. Cat Grant, the Queen of All Media wanted her to join a dating website.

“Oh don’t be so ridiculous, everyone dates online now. I’ve even been known to…” Cat trailed off. “I’ve already done some of the work for you, but I didn’t know everything about your, uh, proclivities.” 

Cat passed the laptop over to Kara, who gulped as she read the question at the top of the page:

“Is your match:   
□ A man   
□ A woman  
□ No gender preference”  
Kara thought it over for a second. Might as well cast a wide net, right? She quickly checked the third box and hoped Cat wouldn’t notice, but from the way her boss coughed softly and shifted in her seat, it seemed she wasn’t that lucky. She powered through a few more questions about the type of person she’d like to date before she noticed a thumbnail photo in the top of the window.

“Wait, what’s that?”

“Oh, that’s the profile picture I chose for you.” Cat was trying to sound casual. “You can change it if you like, but honestly, I used the best one.”

Kara clicked over to her profile and for a moment, fell speechless.

“…that’s…not… Why did you use a picture of Supergirl?” Cat had chosen one of the portraits they’d shot for a feature she’d done for CatCo Magazine earlier in the year.

“Because you are Supergirl! And really, what do you have to lose in dating as the more confident version of yourself? I recognize it will bring…challenges, but even if nothing really comes of it, I’m certain you’ll learn something that you can bring into your love life as Kara. At the very least, it should help you get over Jimmy Olsen.” A hint of disdain peppered her last few words.

Uncertain she would ever recover from hearing her boss refer to her “love life,” Kara took a moment to think before responding. 

Cat kind of had a point. She needed to move on from James, for sure. And while she hadn’t tried online dating before, it was something she’d considered. 

But as Supergirl? Could that really work?

At least, she realized, if she had to run out to intervene in some disaster, she wouldn’t have to invent some lame reason for her sudden departure. Plus, she could completely skip the pre-date outfit planning stress and just wear her suit. And, if things went well, and she accidentally broke something while making out or… Kara blushed and redirected her thoughts away from those memories. 

She would have to keep her identity as Kara secret from anyone she dated, at least for a while. But still, there would be a lot less to explain or hide as Supergirl. 

Wait, was she actually considering this? 

“Fine.” Kara spoke up before she could talk herself out of it again. “Let’s do this, but if I end up killing someone, I blame you.”

 

By the end of the next weekend, Kara hadn’t killed anyone, but it had been a closer call than she expected.   
Cat had helped her identify 6 potentials (4 men, 2 women) and scheduled dates with all of them. 6 dates in 9 days, and each of them had gone wrong in their own way: 1 explosion and 2 dates (thankfully) cut short by Supergirl duties. She also been stood up one night, but that was more of a relief than anything.

Tonight she’d gone out with a guy who seemed normal at first, but who got weirdly competitive after a couple of drinks and wanted to try fighting her. He wouldn’t let it go, so she talked him down to an arm wrestling match… which ended with a trip to the ER.

Once she made sure he was taken care of, Kara excused herself and flew around the city for a while, trying to make some sense out of the last several nights. 

Finally she made a decision, and took off, determined.

Cat stood out on the balcony attached to her apartment and looked up at the on-coming breeze from Kara’s arrival, clearly surprised to see her. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?”

“I was, but it ended a little prematurely. And violently.”

“Violently? Don’t be silly, I’m sure it went fine.”

“I kind of broke the guy’s arm. On accident, but still. The crazy thing is, that wasn’t even the worst date I’ve been on this week.” Kara lowered herself into a deck chair and exhaled deeply. “I don’t think superheroes are supposed to do this.”

“Well, it would have taken a lot to beat the guy with the toupee, but that sounds like a story I need to hear.” Cat laughed. “Come on in, but Carter is asleep, so we’ll need to keep quiet.” 

She led Kara inside into what turned out to be her bedroom, pristinely decorated in cream and soft taupe, with burgundy accents. It wasn’t at all what Kara would have pictured (not that she would picture her boss’ bedroom), but it was perfectly calm and inviting and… Kara snapped out of her creeping and hurried to follow Cat into the kitchen, which like everything else in her apartment, was immaculate.

Cat wrenched open the freezer door on her Sub Zero, and rummaged around before producing a carton of pistachio ice cream. She scooped a bit into a mug for herself, then handed the entire carton over to Kara with a spoon. “Feel free to finish that,” she gestured. 

Since Kara had acknowledged her identity as Supergirl to Cat, she’d stopped holding back on eating too much in front of her, much to the older woman’s amusement. She found it increasingly entertaining to give Kara impossible quantities of food and watch it disappear with no adverse effects on her waistline. 

Cat led her over to the family room, where a massive TV played a silent collage of news programs, and sat on the couch. 

Kara joined her told Cat about her last few dates, and they talked for a while, sharing dating horror stories as they ate their ice cream. 

Cat, as it turned out, had gone through a serious bad-boy phase in college, and had briefly joined a boyfriend’s biker gang. After Kara’s persistent demands to see photographic evidence, Cat dug up an old photo against her better judgment.

“You had a perm?!” Kara’s eyes lit up with glee at the sight of her boss, younger, but still the same somehow, clutching a helmet and leaning up against a Harley in head-to-toe black leather. It was kind of hot. But also hilarious, and that, Kara reminded herself, was the thing to focus on now. “I don’t even know what to focus on in this picture, because it’s all so amazing. Look how high your pants were! I don’t even understand those boots actually.”

“The 90s were a difficult time for all of us, really.” Somehow Cat was taking the teasing in stride.

“Uh-huh, I can see that. So what happened to the hog?”

“Well, I broke up with that guy,” Cat squinted, trying to remember, “and actually started dating someone else from the gang. But then she broke up with me, and that was sadly the end of my time on two wheels.”

Kara pretended not to notice the casual “she” Cat had slipped in, but her voice cracked as she tried to resume teasing her boss, “I don’t know if I’ll ever look at you the same. I mean, obviously the hair has to make a comeback.”

“Ha-ha,” Cat mock-laughed. “I’m glad that my past misfortunes can be a distraction from your own.”

“Yeah, it’s actually been really helpful, Ms. Grant.”

“So,” Cat started gently, “what are you going to do? I may have to concede that my brilliant idea to save your love life may not have been so brilliant after all.”

“Yeah, I think we can put a pin in dating for a while.” Kara deflated slightly, feeling beaten, then thought better of it. Why did admitting defeat in this one thing need to make her feel badly? She was Supergirl AND Kara Danvers, and they were both totally awesome.

“But you know what? Screw it. So what if I can’t figure out dating right now—that’s not the end of the world, and doesn’t mean I don’t deserve love.” Kara didn’t know where this diatribe was headed, but it felt right. “And there’s more than one kind of love in this world anyway.”

Cat looked concerned, but talked it through. “Sure… focus on your friends and family. Like we talked about before, learning to manage what you’ve already got on your plate so you can feel more secure, and eventually make room for more.” She nodded. “That’s a mature decision, Kara.”

“No, no, no. I mean, that sounds great and everything, but that’s not what I meant.”

“Oh. Well, what did you mean?”

Kara hesitated. What did she mean? 

A thought popped into her head, but it was crazy, wasn’t it? Maybe, but it was also kind of perfect. She rolled it over in her mind, quickly testing the idea before she decided and announced proudly: 

“I’m getting a puppy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all this one was rough to write, but the next chapter is like 100% fluffy goodness, so we have that to look forward to. Still looks like this will finish up after 10 chapters, so 2 more.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara gets a dog and nobody can handle it.

“Ohhhh, I can’t take it. He’s too cute! Jimmy, look at him. Are you looking at him? Do you see how fuzzy he is? He’s too cute. I can’t. I can’t deal with it.”

It was safe to say Lucy Lane was a fan of Kara’s new dog, considering she’d been reduced from the strong, stoic, woman Kara knew to the bundle of excitement currently rolling around her living room rug within five minutes of meeting him. 

“In her defense, he is really cute.” Kara grinned at Jimmy, who clearly found the display equal parts amusing and disturbing. 

Kara had found her puppy pretty quickly, after the first shelter she visited told her about a litter just born to a dog living with a foster family. But, she had to wait several weeks before bringing him home while he spent time with his mother and siblings. 

In the meantime, she had gotten used to hanging out with James and Lucy. They were the first friends to come over and meet the new addition since he arrived this morning, and even as Kara reflected on how that might have seemed weird to her a month ago, now it felt totally normal.

She especially felt better now that she knew she had a dog ally in Lucy, since the rest of her friends hadn’t been much help. Winn loved them, but was slightly allergic; Alex liked dogs, but had been really busy at the DEO lately; and Jimmy didn’t care. And Cat? Well, they were kind of friends now, ever since the online dating weirdness, but Kara didn’t know how she felt about dogs. 

“What’s his name?” Jimmy tried to feign interest for his fiancee’s sake.

“I’m not sure yet. I keep switching back and forth between Byron and Howard. Or George. Never mind, I just decided. He’s George.”

“George?!” Lucy squealed from the carpet, where the newly-named puppy was trying to lick every square inch of her face. “I love it. It’s perfect. He’s perfect and I love him.”

“What kind of dog is it?” It was obvious Jimmy didn’t really care, but Kara respected the effort.

“He’s some kind of Golden Retriever mix. They weren’t 100% sure, but he might be part Pomeranian too.”

“Seriously?” Lucy sang. “No wonder he’s so happy. Jimmy, sit down and pet this happy little dog right now.” 

Lucy looked up at Kara, her face suddenly serious, as Jimmy complied with her request. “Kara, I want you to know that if anything happens, we will be his Godparents. Dogparents. Whatever. The point is, any time you need to leave, like when the asteroid thing happened, just say the word, and we will love him like our own.”

Kara laughed. “What is it with the Lane girls and dogs? Your sister said the same thing, and she hasn’t even met him yet.”

“When she does, she’s going to flip her lid. He actually kind of looks like a puppy we had when we were kids. Her name was Noodles, and I have no idea why we named her that. Kids are dumb… oh, has your sister met him yet?”

“No, she’s coming over later though. I just hope she likes him half as much as you do.” 

 

A few hours later, Kara was relieved to discover that Alex did love the puppy, albeit without the same enthusiasm as Lucy.

“Kara, he’s amazing,” she offered, “but are you sure this is a good idea? A puppy is a LOT of work, especially when you’re single and in a small apartment. He needs a lot of attention and training, and walks… how are you going to do it?”

“Well, I already talked to Cat about it,” Kara breezed right past Alex’s attempt to interrupt “and she knows I might have to pop out here and there during the day to check on him. Fortunately it won’t take long because, you know, super-speed, and she said as long as I bring coffee back with me, it would be okay. She’s being really cool about it, actually.”

“I’m pretty sure Cat Grant has never been ‘cool’ about anything in her life.” Alex rolled her eyes. “What’s going on with you two anyway? First name basis, apparently?”

“I don’t know. Nothing really. I only call her Cat when I’m in my super suit, usually, because yeah, we’re sort of friends, but just outside of the office. At work she still calls me Keira and yells a lot.” She sighed. “It’s a little weird, but hey, I guess life is just like that when you’ve got two identities!” Kara shrugged, trying to make light of what was actually becoming a very confusing situation.

“I suppose that’s true to an extent, but…” Alex looked uncertain, then threw her hands up, exasperated. “You know, whatever. It’s a little weird, but you’ll figure it out. And in the mean time, we have this little dork to snuggle!” 

Alex lifted George up to her face until the tip of his nose touched her own and looked solemnly into his eyes. “George, I know this is hard for you to hear, but your mom is probably going to die alone. But you have lots of family who love you, in particular, your brilliant and sophisticated Aunt Alex, so you will always be cared for.”

Kara only heard the first bit of Alex’s little speech, distracted by the ding of a new text from Cat.

Cat Grant:  
3rd quarter projections came in low, so the board’s collective panties   
are in a twist. It’s going to be an early morning—can you be here at 7?

Kara Danvers:  
Here? Are you at the office on a Sunday?  
And yes, 7 is fine.

Cat Grant:  
I’m frequently at the office over the weekend—needed a head start.   
And thank you 

“Did she just…” Kara stared at her phone, then held it out to Alex. “Cat Grant just used a smiley face emoji.”

Alex put George down and reached for the phone. “I don’t believe you.” She scanned the conversation quickly, then with a mischievous glint in her eye, started tapping a response.

“Alex. Al, what are you doing?” Kara spoke calmly, but was starting to panic.

“Nothing…” Alex finished typing, then tossed the phone back to her sister. “Done.”

Kara Danvers:  
I don’t have anything planned this afternoon, so I can come help you,  
if you like.

Before she could completely digest the information, Cat replied:

Cat Grant:  
Are you sure? I could definitely use you.

“What. the. hell. Alex, what is your endgame in killing my weekend?”

“As if, Kara. I just gave you alone time with your crush, on a silver platter. You’re welcome, by the way.”

Kara glared at her for a minute, then tapped out a reply.

Kara Danvers:  
It’s no problem. I might have to bring my dog though.

Cat Grant:  
You brought him home? That’s fine—he can hang out on the balcony.   
Plus Carter is here, and he’d love the company.

 

Once Kara arrived, they discovered that Carter did, in fact, love George’s company. He was out on the balcony with the puppy, attempting very seriously to train him to fetch.

Cat seemed surprised and watched them from her desk. “I’ve been trying to talk Carter into getting a dog for years now, but he’s always liked cats. This could change his mind.”

Kara looked up from a revenue spreadsheet. “Oh, well, you’re welcome?”

“I’m actually not sure I want one anymore. They’re so much work and I’m plenty busy here…” Cat trailed off, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Kara, can I be candid with you for a moment?”

“Of course, Ms. Grant.”

“You saw our latest circulation numbers. The magazine isn’t doing as well as it used to, but unless we boost readership and ad sales, I don’t know how much longer we can keep it afloat. So we need to put our heads together and come up with something special.”

Kara thought a minute, then had an idea. It had been Supergirl’s emergence that kept the magazine from being shuttered, so maybe she could save it again. “What if Supergirl gave another interview? Or did something, I don’t know, spectacular. That helped last time.”

“True, but it might take a lot. I don’t want to overextend her,” Cat hesitated, “or ask for more than she’s willing to give.”

It took a second for Kara to wade through the responses that popped into her head:  
“Oh Cat, that’s impossible.”  
“I would give you anything.”  
“You can ask me anything you want”

Instead, she said “Don’t be silly. I’ll always be willing to help you.”

“I know, and thank you.” Cat looked out the window and spoke so quietly, Kara could hardly hear her. Then she clapped her hands, “I think that’s enough for tonight. I’m going to go pet your dog, and then we can get started on magazine resuscitation in the morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: it'll probably be a week or so before I get the last chapter up. BUT, I think it's going to be cool once I finish it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a regular day, until Kara’s friends started to disappear. Is something sinister going on? Probably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay dudes, this is it. Thanks for your comments & feedback, and I hope you like the ending!

Kara fidgeted with the Bluetooth in her ear. “Alex, can you hear me?” The line buzzed blankly. “Al? I really need your help. Where are you, anyway?” 

It had been like this for over an hour, and Kara wondered if she would have to simply accept that everyone she loved was gone. She slumped down onto the couch in Cat’s empty office, resigned to her lonely fate. 

The day had started out fine, just an ordinary Friday, aside from the fact that a weeklong rainstorm had left her exhausted and aching for the sun. She still had some of her powers left, but she was definitely feeling diminished.

She’d also done a lunchtime interview with Cat as Supergirl, which proved to be painful. As part of their plan to revitalize the magazine, Kara had agreed to provide more exclusive Supergirl content, starting with a painfully personal interview about her dating life.

“Our readers will love it!” Cat cheered when Kara complained about the nature of the first piece. “It’s okay that your love life hasn’t exactly been stellar lately. It’s better, actually—Superheroes are just like the rest of us when it comes to love.” 

Kara finally consented under the condition that she be allowed to read the article and have veto privileges over certain details. Cat agreed, and they ended up having a great time sharing sushi and gossiping. By the end of the interview, they were both curled up into one of the couches in Cat’s office, doubled over with laughter as Kara recounted the story of her first kiss, which not surprisingly, hadn’t gone well.

As soon as the interview was over, she rushed out to her desk, hoping to have a quick ‘what is my life’ session with Winn, but he was nowhere to be seen, apparently never having returned from his own lunch break. 

That was weird enough. Then James vanished just before an art department meeting, and when Kara tried calling Lucy to see if she knew where he was, she didn’t pick up. She called Lois and Clark, to the same result.

By mid-afternoon, Kara was nervous. She told herself everything was fine, despite having sent about 15 unanswered texts. It was the middle of the work day. They were busy. 

But, when Kara returned from a trip to the copy room to discover that Cat had disappeared too, she was sure something was up. Cat never went anywhere without Kara knowing about it. 

Was someone kidnapping her friends to get back at her? Could this be Lex Luthor’s revenge? She tried to call Alex for the DEO’s take on the situation, but her sister was also missing in action. 

Now it was almost 5 pm, and Kara was sulking around the CatCo offices alone, everyone else having left early once they realized Cat was gone for the day. 

She dialed Alex’s cell again, then Winn, Lucy, Clark, and Cat one more time. No one answered. She did one last cursory look around, peeking her head into Jimmy’s office, then slinked down the stairs, into the still heavy rain, and took a cab home, too worn-out to fly.

Just as her feet hit the pavement upon exiting the cab, her phone rang: it was Alex.

“Alex? Thank God. I’ve been trying to call you all day! Please tell me you’re alright.”

“Yeah,” Alex sounded distracted. “I’m sorry, I’ll explain later. Everything’s okay, but where are you? Why aren’t you at home?”

“You’re at my apartment? I’m just walking up now.” The sense of foreboding Kara had carried in her stomach all day intensified. What was going on? “Alex, are you sure you’re alright? Where is everyone?”

“I’m okay, I promise. Just hurry.” Alex’s voice sounded strained, then the line went dead and Kara rushed up the stairs.

As she approached her apartment, her impaired super hearing picked up on something faint inside—a few heartbeats and whispering. People were there, but with her x-ray vision out of commission, she had no way of knowing who or how many. 

Her own heartbeat accelerated as she realized this was the confrontation she’d been building to all day, driving herself crazy while waiting for the other shoe to drop. Strangely, she felt relieved as she approached the door, knowing that no matter how terrible this was going to be—with everyone she loved missing, and her powers almost completely burned out—at least it was going to be over. 

She took a deep breath, clenched her fists and cracked her neck, readying herself for whatever awaited her on the other side of the door. Her hand hovered over the knob, then she decided, somewhat recklessly, to expend a little energy in a show of force and kicked the door open with a deafening crack.

Someone screamed inside, and Kara heard footsteps and a muffled curse.

“Alex?!” Kara shouted. The living room was empty, and aside from the front door now lying in the middle of the floor, everything looked normal. George ran out of the kitchen, barking aggressively at the door, and Kara scooped him up gratefully. 

“Yeah, I’m here! It’s okay you guys, it’s just Kara.” Alex peeked her head around the corner from the kitchen into the living room and waved sheepishly, looking down at the broken door. “It’s suddenly very obvious to me that we could have planned this better, but, uh, surprise?”

“What the actual fuck, Al?” Kara was furious. “Who is ‘we,’ anyway?” 

She stormed across the room and over to the kitchen, where she was shocked to see her missing friends crowded into the tiny room, all wearing the same uncomfortable expression.

Dozens of yellow balloons bounced around the floor and floated near the ceiling where a homemade banner proclaimed “HAPPY HERO-VERSARY!” 

Cat Grant clutched a large pink box, standing awkwardly next to Clark and Lois, near the window. Jimmy and Lucy were there too, fidgeting with candles on the counter. Winn, who had apparently been in the middle of blowing up another balloon, pulled it away from his mouth and let it zoom away. “Yeah, we screwed this up.”

A moment ago, Kara was sure they were all dead, or at least in grave danger, and yet, here they were, evidently in the middle of setting up a surprise party for her. “You guys…” She tried to speak, but it was too much to feel, and she started to tear up. “I’m sorry I broke the door,” she managed to choke out after a moment. “I just got so scared. What is this?”

Alex sidled up next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. “Well, this morning before you did that interview with Cat, she realized today is your one-year anniversary as Supergirl. So she talked to Jimmy, who talked to me and Clark, and we decided to plan a party. It was kind of last minute, obviously, so we had to hurry and get everything together, which is why we all disappeared this afternoon. You weren’t supposed to notice…”

“That part is my fault,” Cat took a step toward Kara. “I was supposed to keep you busy at work, but then Carter had an emergency at school, so I had to go take care of him.” She gestured over to a chair, where Carter sat, his arm wrapped in a new cast. “He’s alright though,” Cat added quickly. “Just an awkward fall and a broken wrist. It happens.”

Kara hadn’t noticed him sitting there before and now felt even more mortified at having kicked in her own front door and swearing. As for the fact that a 12 year-old was now apparently on the list of people who knew her identity, that was something she’d have to process later. 

“I just...” Kara still felt too overwhelmed to form a coherent sentence. “You all… you’re still here.” she managed. “You all love me.”

“Of course we do,” Alex squeezed her shoulder and pulled her into a proper side-hug. “Even if you weren’t National City’s Supergirl, you’d still be ours.”

Clark chimed in, “it’s been amazing to see you grow over the last year—all the challenges you’ve faced, and the people you’ve helped. It’s made all of us proud, and we think you’re worth celebrating.”

“The last year has been a real honor, Kara,” Winn blushed a little as he spoke. “I’m just grateful to have been part of it, even in the little way I have been.”

“Eh, I mean, you’ve been okay,” Jimmy teased. “But I welcome any excuse to eat cake.”

“Cupcakes, actually!” Cat beamed, laying the box she held down on the table and opening it to reveal a dozen perfectly frosted yellow cupcakes. “And these you are definitely allowed to eat.” She looked up at Kara and winked. 

Kara’s heart fluttered slightly, and she let out a nervous laugh. Somehow that, along with Jimmy’s teasing, was enough to make her feel normal again. “Alright, I think that’s about all the praise I can handle for one night. But I’m sure I can handle at least two of these,” she reached for a cupcake, half expecting Cat to swat her hand away and grinning when she didn’t. “And maybe some pizza.”

Someone ordered the pizza, and for the rest of the evening, they sat around the apartment eating lazily, talking and laughing. Her friends began swapping stories about Supergirl’s first year, mostly the embarrassing kind, and when Alex started in on an especially humiliating tale from when she’d been infected by the red kryptonite, Kara’s face flushed with shame.

“Oh, I don’t think everyone needs to hear that story,” Kara interjected, elbowing Alex in the ribs sharply. “That one ended up pretty boring.”

“I thought you were extraordinary that week Kara,” Cat cut in, with another wink cast in Kara’s direction. “Dangerous for sure, but I liked you with a little edge.”

Was Cat actually flirting with her? That was impossible, Kara reasoned. She was her boss, and Supergirl or no, Cat Grant, Queen of All Media, would not be interested in an assistant.

They all stayed a little longer, then as the evening began to wind down, Cat stood to announce her and Carter’s exit. It wasn’t a school night, but he still needed to get to bed at a decent hour. Everyone else agreed, and the mass exit began.

Kara walked with everyone to the door, thanking and hugging them one-by-one. Somehow Cat had slipped toward the end of the line so she was the last to hug Kara in the doorway, Carter already halfway down the hallway, animated as he talked to Jimmy about meeting Superman and Supergirl in one night. 

“I meant what I said earlier,” Cat breathed as she leaned into their hug. “You are extraordinary. Not just that week, and not just this year as Supergirl. Kara Danvers has been special to me for a long time.” She pulled back slightly and looked directly into Kara’s eyes, her own softened with obvious affection.

Before Kara could think of a response, Clark squeezed back through the door past them muttering “left my glasses in the kitchen.”

Cat pulled away to let him pass, but kept one arm wrapped around Kara, low around her waist. “I think I saw them on top of the microwave,” Cat called after him helpfully, then let her arm drop lower and pulled her hand to rest on Kara’s lower back.

That was new. 

Kara flinched in surprise and glanced wide-eyed at Cat, who seemed completely composed. “As much as I’d love to stay,” she purred, “I really do need to get Carter home. See you Monday.” She gave Kara’s back a small tap, leaned up to plant a quick peck on her cheek, and strode down the hall without looking back, a little extra swing in her hips.

“Holy shit,” Kara murmured to herself. Did that actually just happen?

“So,” Clark had reappeared from the kitchen, settling his glasses onto the bridge of his nose with a satisfied expression. Had he seen what happened with Cat? She couldn’t tell. “A year in. Does it feel like all the pieces are back in place?” 

“Actually, yeah. It’s taken a lot of work, and I’m sure that won’t ever go away, but it’s like you said, I have a good life. Nights like tonight are a good reminder that even if things start to fall apart, I’ve got people I love, people I can trust to have my back and be right where I left them.”

Clark smiled and patted her on the back, then thought better and pulled her into a deep, strong hug. “I’ll always be here for you, kid.” 

He pulled away and started off down the hall, then stopped. “And I’m curious to see what happens in year two. Especially with Cat Grant.” He wiggled his eyebrows and enjoyed the stunned look on Kara’s face for a moment before giving her little wave over his shoulder and sauntering away.

Kara watched him disappear down the stairway, then drifted back inside, closing the door behind her. It had been quite a year, she reflected, plopping down on the couch and feeling the full weight of everything she’d lost that year, but also of everything she gained. 

And that was only the beginning. With year two of who-knows-how many stretching out before her, she started to feel a little overwhelmed wondering what she’d lose this year. But, whatever happened, she reminded herself, she had a lot to look forward to. She had Alex and Clark; Winn, Jimmy, Lucy; she had George. And Cat. She closed her eyes to remember the weight of her hand on her back, the brush of her lips against her cheek, the warm, safe smell of her. She definitely had something to hope for there.

“Year two,” Kara said out loud to the empty room, a smile widening on her face. “Bring it on.”


End file.
